Alex Day

On this date in 1989, Alex Richard George Day was born in Essex, England. Day grew up in Essex, where he started his YouTube channel, nerimon, in 2006. Day attended university but never received his degree, instead treating his independent music and video blogging as a full-time profession. Day now lives in London with friend and collaborator Charlie McDonnell. Day has released two solo albums, “Parrot Stories” (2009) and “The World Is Mine (I Don’t Know Anything)” (2010). He has also released several EPs and a single, “Forever Yours” (2011), which Day tried to get to number one in the official UK 2011 Christmas charts. He made it to number four, attracting the interest of radio stations around the country as well as record labels. The next week, Day had the distinction of having the fastest drop in the charts in UK history, dropping down to 108. Day also collaborates with other YouTubers and musicians, and is a member of the band Chameleon Circuit with McDonnell. Chameleon Circuit performs Doctor Who-themed music, a genre referred to as “Time Lord Rock” or “Trock,” a term Day invented in 2008.

Day’s video blogs often feature a snarky, rational perspective on topics from day-to-day life or popular culture. Day occasionally mocks religion and is outspoken about his atheism. In his video “The Atheist’s Puzzle,” Day discussed recently seeing Richard Dawkins at a convention and his own reasons for not believing, saying, “This for me isn’t a choice of are you religious or are you not. For me, it’s just a case of I don’t need religion to make the world seem more impressive than it is.” Videos like “Jewish Holiday Rules” and “Alex Reads Creation,” openly mock Judeo-Christian religious traditions. Day goes so far as to say, “I don’t think that the bible is true, I think that it’s a work of fiction. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a good read.”

“I look forward to receiving 20 emails saying, ‘Hey, I noticed you’re not religious. Look at your fingerprint. Doesn’t that prove that there is a creator, because your fingerprint is completely unique.’ Um, no. Doesn’t.”